7. B2B sales

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Winning businesses in international markets used to be all about shoe leather. Not any more. As Irish businesses strive to land more businesses in international markets, they need to ensure their websites are primed for buyers and for lead generation.

US research shows that a company’s website ranks second to traditional prospecting in generating qualified B2B leads. Despite all the noise about social media, it still plays second fiddle to email in terms of lead generation.

That said, the research noted that social media is as helpful as direct mail and that more sales professionals are getting harder returns from LinkedIn, in particular. The research found that B2B sales cycles in the US are longer but that pipelines are growing. Green shoots, perhaps.

Source: OneSource B2B Sales Pulse Survey, March 2010. Based on a sample of 136 B2B sales professionals. 1 = least qualified leads, 5 = most qualified leads

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